Translation To Version Management: The EuroQol Experience

Rotterdam, Netherlands – The EuroQol five-dimensional (EQ-5D) questionnaire is used world-wide as a patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument for the measurement and valuation of health. As the use of EQ-5D has increased exponentially, so has the demand for new variants and formats, and new language versions of the instrument.

The EuroQol Group realized the need to implement standardized procedures which ensured EQ-5D versions were produced following international guidelines. Wide experience in translating the instrument has also led to some innovations within the standard translation procedures. The aim of the procedures is to produce versions which are semantically equivalent and which permit comparison and aggregation of data obtained with different language versions. Quality control is ensured through oversight by an experienced team of reviewers. An experienced team ensures high levels of quality control over language versions in different formats. This process results in the production of high-quality translations that allow for the comparison and aggregation of data across countries.

The researchers report that, currently, the EQ-5D three-level self-complete version is available in nearly 200 languages, while the five-level version is available in more than 100 languages.

The researchers conclude that version management in the case of a widely-used PRO instrument like the EQ-5D requires considerable resources and a well-structured approach to ensure standardisation and quality control. A rigorous and adaptive approach to producing other language versions is essential.

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